To the delight of teenagers for the past 2,000 years, the Talmud gives us a surprisingly straightforward commandment for Purim:
Rava said: A person is obligated to become intoxicated with wine on Purim until he does not know how to distinguish between “cursed is Haman” and “blessed is Mordecai” (Megillah 7b:7).
OK, Talmud. Rabbis and parents in every generation have read this and wondered…really? What could possibly go wrong?
Fear not, kids; just look to the very next line. The Talmud answers its own question immediately. Rava, who just issued the edict, hosts a Purim feast with Rabbi Zeira. True to their own teaching, they drink, celebrate, and fulfill the mitzvah to blur the lines. And in that wine-induced haze of joy, ambiguity, and potential bad decisions, the text drops a bombshell:
Rava slaughters Rabbi Zeira.
You wanted to know what could go wrong? Uh, this. This is what could go wrong.
And then, just as abruptly, the Talmud gives us a resurrection, because apparently the story wasn’t strange enough already:
The next day, when he became sober and realized what he had done, Rava asked God for mercy — and revived him.
Rava prays, and Rabbi Zeira comes back to life. Did Rava do it? Did God do it? Unclear. All we get is a stone-cold miracle delivered with the same deadpan flatness as the killing that required it.
Almost as an afterthought, the next year Rava invites Rabbi Zeira back for another Purim feast. A‑ca‑scuse me? Did Rava forget the events of the year prior? That’s hard to believe, but I’ll meet him halfway; maybe he was trying to make up for his unsuccessful/successful homicide thing.
Modeling a kind of understated humility and self-preservation instinct that is worthy of praise, Rabbi Zeira replies: One doesn’t rely on a miracle every time.
This kind of steely-eyed moral clarity apparently only emerges once you’ve survived actual death. It’s a reminder that joy is not neutral, and that celebration without some guardrails can become something darker. More than that, it’s a warning that righteous people, even brilliant teachers, can cross lines they never intended to cross when they willingly surrender the ability to distinguish one thing from another. And believe you me, in my life, I’ve seen some Purim stuff that, uh…is not awesome. Bad choices are evergreen, it seems, when you embrace the Rava.
So, yes, the Talmud tells us to drink until we can’t tell “cursed is Haman” from “blessed is Mordecai” on Purim, but it also refuses to let that command sit unchallenged. It gives us the story that answers “What could go wrong?” with a very clear answer:
Everything.
Celebrate responsibly.
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